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Orleans Clustering - Azure Table Storage

Overview

Azure Table Storage clustering enables Orleans silos to discover each other and form a cluster using Azure Table Storage as the membership table. This is ideal for Azure-hosted applications and supports both connection string and managed identity authentication.

Configuration

Connection String Authentication

{
  "Orleans": {
    "ClusteringSettings": {
      "ProviderType": "AzureTableStorage",
      "AzureTableStorage": {
        "ConnectionString": "DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=mystorageaccount;AccountKey=mykey;EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net",
        "TableName": "OrleansMembershipTable",
        "UseManagedIdentity": false
      }
    }
  }
}

Managed Identity Authentication

For Azure-hosted applications, managed identity provides passwordless authentication:

{
  "Orleans": {
    "ClusteringSettings": {
      "ProviderType": "AzureTableStorage",
      "AzureTableStorage": {
        "ConnectionString": null,
        "TableName": "OrleansMembershipTable",
        "UseManagedIdentity": true,
        "ManagedIdentityClientId": "client-id-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: ManagedIdentityClientId is optional and only required when using user-assigned managed identity. For system-assigned managed identity, omit this property.

Setup Instructions

1. Create Azure Storage Account

  1. Navigate to Azure Portal
  2. Create a new Storage Account
  3. Note the account name and connection string (or configure managed identity)

For Azure App Service, Azure Container Apps, or Azure VMs:

  1. Enable system-assigned managed identity in the Azure resource
  2. Grant the managed identity the "Storage Table Data Contributor" role on the storage account
  3. Configure UseManagedIdentity: true in appsettings.json

For user-assigned managed identity:

  1. Create a user-assigned managed identity
  2. Assign it to your Azure resource
  3. Grant the "Storage Table Data Contributor" role
  4. Configure UseManagedIdentity: true and ManagedIdentityClientId: "your-client-id"

3. Table Creation

The membership table is automatically created on first use. The default table name is OrleansMembershipTable, but you can customize it via the TableName property.

Configuration Options

Property Type Required Default Description
ConnectionString string Conditional null Azure Storage connection string. Required if UseManagedIdentity is false.
TableName string No "OrleansMembershipTable" Name of the Azure Table Storage table for clustering
UseManagedIdentity bool No false Whether to use managed identity for authentication
ManagedIdentityClientId string No null Client ID for user-assigned managed identity (optional)

Validation

The configuration is validated at startup: - If UseManagedIdentity is false, ConnectionString must be provided - TableName must not be empty when using managed identity

Health Checks

The template includes OrleansAzureTableStorageClusteringHealthCheck which verifies: - Connectivity to Azure Table Storage - Table existence and accessibility - Authentication (connection string or managed identity)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Authentication Failed
  2. Verify connection string is correct
  3. For managed identity, ensure the identity has "Storage Table Data Contributor" role

  4. Check that the storage account is accessible from your application

  5. Table Not Found

  6. The table is created automatically on first use
  7. Verify the table name is correct

  8. Check storage account permissions

  9. Connection Timeout

  10. Verify network connectivity to Azure Storage
  11. Check firewall rules on the storage account
  12. Ensure the storage account endpoint is accessible

Best Practices

  1. Use managed identity for production deployments
  2. Use separate storage accounts for different environments (dev, staging, prod)
  3. Monitor table storage capacity and performance
  4. Configure appropriate retention policies for table data
  5. Use connection string only for local development

References